How to hide an album in a gallery on Xiaomi Redmi 8 Pro: from system functions to secret folders

Why Hide Albums in a Gallery and What Risks It Can Have

Xiaomi Redmi 8 Pro smartphones store thousands of personal photos, from family photos to screenshots of sensitive information. But what if you don't want those files to fall into the hands of strangers? For example, when you give your phone to friends to show memes or give your child a game, even a random tap can open up access to your personal data.

Redmi 8 Pro owners often face a problem: the standard MIUI gallery does not offer an obvious Hide Album button; instead, the feature is hidden in the depth of settings or requires the use of additional tools. Moreover, some methods (for example, moving files to a secure folder) can break the preview in other applications or cause sync errors with the cloud.

In this article, we’ll look at 4 working ways to hide albums, from the built-in MIUI 11/12 capabilities to bypassing restrictions through the file manager, and why files hidden through system tools can still be accessed via a computer when connected via USB and how to fix it.

Method 1: Use the Protected Folder function in MIUI

The most reliable method is the built-in Secure Folder (formerly called the Private Folder) that encrypts files and requires a password or fingerprint to access, but on Redmi 8 Pro, this option can be disabled by default or hidden depending on the version of MIUI.

To activate it:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go to the Applications → Gallery → Gallery settings.
3. Find the Secure folder (or Private Album in older versions).
4. Set a password (it is recommended to use a fingerprint for convenience).
5. Return to the gallery, select the desired photos / videos and click More → Move to the protected folder.

⚠️ Note: If you forget the password from the protected folder, you can only restore access to files through resetting your phone settings. Xiaomi does not provide official tools for unlocking.

Set a strong password (at least 8 characters)

Add a fingerprint for quick access

Backup your files on the cloud or PC

Make sure there are no duplicate files in the folder.-->

After moving, the files will disappear from the main gallery, but will remain accessible through:

• 🔒 Secure folder in the gallery (requires a password).
• 📁 File manager on the way /storage/emulated/0/MIUI/PrivateAlbum/ (Only if the hidden files are displayed).
• 🖥️ PC connection – files will be visible but encrypted (open only after entering a password on the phone).

Method 2: Hiding by adding a point to the folder name (for experienced)

This method works at the file system level and does not require a password, but has limitations. If you rename the folder with the album by adding a dot at the beginning of the title (for example,.Vacation2023), it will become hidden for most applications, including the gallery.

Pros:

• ⚡ Quickly and without additional applications.
• 📱 It works on all versions. MIUI.
• 🔄 Files are still available through the file manager.

Cons:

• 🚫 Some apps (like Google Photos) will still display files.
• 🔍 The folder is visible when connected to the PC.
• 🔄 After updating MIUI may reset the concealment setting.

Instructions:

1. Open Files (Standard Xiaomi Manager)
2. Go to the Inner Memory → DCIM → Camera (or another folder with albums).
3. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Rename.
4. Add a dot before the name (e.g.,.Camera).
5. Confirm the change.

⚠️ Note: Do not rename system folders (for example, DCIM or Pictures – this can disrupt the camera and other apps.

Method 3: Archiving albums in ZIP with password

If you need to not only hide, but also protect files from viewing on other devices, archiving in ZIP with a password is the best solution.

For this:

1. Install an archiver (such as RAR or ZArchiver from Google Play).
2. Open the file manager and find the folder with the albums.
3. Select files, press More. → Archive.
4. Select the ZIP format and set a password (at least 10 characters with numbers and letters).
5. After creating the archive, delete the original files.

⚠️ Note: If you archive files and delete the originals and then forget the password, it will be impossible to restore them).

💡

Before archiving, check files for viruses – some archivers may block infected files and you will lose access to the album.

Method 4: Third-party apps to hide albums

If the built-in methods don't work, you can use specialized applications, and they offer additional features: false password, masking as a calculator or deleting by timer.

Top.-3 Proven applications for Redmi 8 Pro:

• 🔐 GalleryVault – Hiding files and creating fake albums to distract attention.
• 📱 Hide Something – Supports encryption and cloud backup.
• 🔒 Private Photo Vault – has a built-in viewer with screenshot protection.

How to set up GalleryVault:

1. Download the app from Google Play.
2. At the first launch, install PIN-code.
3. Click Import and select files from the gallery.
4. Activate the option to Remove originals (optional).
5. In the settings, enable Hide the app icon so that it does not appear in the menu.

⚠️ Note: Some antiviruses (such as Avast) may block such applications as suspicious.

Built-in MIUI functions

Rename of folders

Password archive

Third-party annexes

I'm not hiding it.-->

What to do if hidden albums reappear in the gallery

Sometimes, after updating MIUI or resetting the settings, the hidden files are re-visited.

• 🔄 Reset gallery cache - app re-scans memory.
• 📱 Firmware updates - new versions MIUI They can change the logic of the file display.
• 🔌 PC connections – some files can be automatically disclosed when transferring data.

Decisions:

1. For a secure folder: Check if your password settings are reset in Settings → Privacy.
2. For renamed folders: Make sure the title has a dot (sometimes the file manager removes it).
3. For archives: Move ZIP-file to another directory (for example, /Download/Private/).

💡

If hidden files have appeared after the MIUI update, try rolling back the gallery to the factory version via Settings → Apps → Gallery → Remove updates.

How to Remove Hidden Album Traces Before Selling Your Phone

If you are planning to sell or give away the Redmi 8 Pro, it is not enough to simply delete files from the gallery.

• 🗑️ Files in a Protected Folder.
• 📂 Password archives.
• 🔍 Cache apps that could save thumbnails.

Step-by-step:

1. Move all important files to your PC or cloud.
2. Delete files from the Secure folder (enter the password and click Delete Everything).
3. Clear the gallery cache and file manager in Settings → Applications.
4. Perform a full reset via Settings → About Phone → Reset settings.
5. For reliability, use SD Maid or CCleaner to clear the residual data.

⚠️ Note: Even after a reset, some files can be recovered by special programs (for example, DiskDigger).If you sell a phone with sensitive information, it is recommended to encrypt the memory before reset (included in Settings). → Security → Encryption of the telephone).

FAQ: Frequent questions about album hiding on Redmi 8 Pro